Marshall Football 2015: 7 Bold Predictions

Marshall Football is six days away, and everyone in Herd Nation is excited for what should be another great year. I’ve previously written a season preview for the Herd, but for fun I thought we could make some bold predictions for this year.

1. Marshall will beat Purdue by two touchdowns or more.

Matthew Thomas|Purdue Exponent

I don’t know how bold this one is, but it is sure to happen. Most people have Marshall as a seven point favorite, and any time I’ve seen score predictions, it’s less than that. Either Purdue has a little bit too high of expectations, or Marshall fans are just worried about the loss of Cato. I can assure you Devon Johnson will put in work against Purdue. Not only will that produce tons of offense, but it will open up the passing game too. That’s just the offense. Defensively, I think DC Chuck Heater will have the Herd ready, especially against a team that isn’t totally sure about how their offense will work. Even with the first game mistakes, I still see Marshall taking this one by a few scores. There’s just too much power on both sides of the ball.

2. Deandre Reaves will take 3 kickoffs to the house.

H/T Herdinsider.com

Not only is he going to do that, he’s also going to break the Marshall record for return yards in a season (which he also broke last year, and the year before that.) Reaves only took one kickoff back last year, and it came in the Herd’s bowl game against Northern Illinois. Am I limiting him to just 3? Of course not. He could easily get five or more. Watch this kid play. He can hit holes and make you miss, and it’s only a matter of time before he gets some more of that one last block that he needs to take it all the way.

3. More than one quarterback will start at some point.

Sholten Singer, Herald Dispatch

With Rakeem Cato gone to the CFL, Marshall leaves what was an era of pure brilliance behind center. Quarterback Michael Birdsong, a James Madison transfer, has been given the starting position. If you read my previous article then you know how I felt about the current QB situation. If you didn’t, take a second to do that, it’ll catch you up. Anyways, if Birdsong struggles early like I think he might, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Chase Litton or Gunnar Holcombe sneak in some starts. This isn’t something most coaches would do in the middle of the season, solely because the offense would lose its rhythm and possibly impact the outcome of games. But Marshall’s offense isn’t like the rest. It features a dual-running back system and a very strong receiving core. This is probably the least-realistic prediction out of the seven, but it’s still not impossible. With any other team you might think of switching QB’s as a dumb move, but with Marshall, whoever runs the high-powered offense the best during the season should take the job.

4. Rockhead rushes for 2200+ yards and takes a trip to NYC.

Steve Keenan, The Register-Herald

Last year, Devon Johnson made the switch to running back and essentially changed his life forever. He’s known well for his bruising stiff-arm and has great speed for someone his size. In 2014, Johnson ran for 1,767 yards on just 206 attempts. I’ll save you the math, that’s 8.6 yards per carry, one of the best in the nation. Those 1,767 yards came during a Cato-to-Shuler filled season, which to me makes it seem even greater than it was. Oh, and I think I forgot to mention that he basically missed three games too. Now the team is on his back, and he’s going to have to stay healthy if he wants to give his team the chance at that Go5 bowl. I’d expect him to get about 250 carries or more in his 2015 campaign, which would put him at 2,150 yards. In any Power Five conference, that would earn Rockhead the Heisman. In CUSA, it most likely won’t. I still, however, think he will be well-deserving of an invite to New York by the end of the year.

5. Herd Fans will finally get to see the Blackout Uniforms they’ve been waiting so long for.

When FIU visits Huntington this year, they may not recognize their opponent. Not because of any roster changes, but because the Marshall Thundering Herd is going to walk out of the tunnel with all black uniforms on. Herd fans have been waiting a very long time for this to happen. Marshall Athletic Director Mike Hamrick was answering questions on twitter the other day when one fan asked about the jerseys for the FIU game. His response tells all:

@mhlewis8 new uniforms are always fun. Players and fans enjoy them. The blackout for the FIU game we are promoting will be FUN!

Many different models have been graphically designed and sent around the web as hope, but with no success in previous years. Here’s an example of what you might see for “Operation Blackout:”

via twitter, made by Aaron-Michael Fox

6. Marshall will go unbeaten and win the C-USA Title for the second year in a row.

The Thundering Herd won all but one conference game last season, and went on to beat LA Tech 26-23 in the Conference Championship game. This season Marshall will again compete for the C-USA title, against LA Tech, and win. In fact, I’m giving the Herd the go-ahead in the 12 games before that as well. Only three teams have what it takes to beat Marshall this year, and none of them are going to pull it off. Purdue, MTSU, and Western Kentucky will all come short. Yes, Marshall will be on the road for two of those games, but they’ll be too much. The only way I see Marshall getting beat? The Go5 spot in the New Years’ Bowl games. They’d face Florida State, Georgia, etc. Do they still have a chance at winning? Most definitely. Marshall has recently been one of the most consistent teams in the nation when it comes to offense, so scoring wouldn’t be an issue. Defensively they were exposed by Western Kentucky, but that was it. No other offense was able to keep up with the Herd last season, and that’s why they should go undefeated in 2015.

AP Photos

7. Marshall’s kickers become internet sensations.

In case you didn’t know, and most of you fit in this category, the Marshall specialists have their own Vine. The Vine account is dedicated to their trick shots around the stadium and in the locker room. Here’s a few to take a look at:

Pretty awesome right? It’s only a matter of time before big-boy twitter gets a hold of one of these and the whole world will get to see the Marshall specialists.

Casey covers Thundering Herd Football for MFST. You can follow him on twitter @wxmozz

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Marshall Football is six days away, and everyone in Herd Nation is excited for what should be another great year. I've previously written a season preview for the Herd, but for fun I thought we could make some bold predictions for this year.
1. Marshall will beat Purdue by two...Casey MosrieCaseyMosriecaseymosrie@gmail.comContributorI attend Marshall University and follow college football and basketball.MyFantasySportsTalk